Forget Me Not
by Emerald Lotus
Summary: Memories are the most precious possession any person can have.Yet sometimes things interfere and our memories become lost to us. When Robin slowly begins to forget everything he must struggle to regain what he has lost before it becomes permanent. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

The orchestra music swelled through the banquet room mixing with the sounds of silverware on china. The room was elegantly decorated with glass chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and elaborate ice sculptures shaped like different types of flowers adorned the tables, matching their real counterparts lining the walls. People were thoroughly enjoying themselves in the rich setting, but for Dick Grayson it was just another dinner party.

Dick was off to the corner of the room trying to get away from the crowd. He was always swarmed at these events because people just thought he was the "most adorable child" and Bruce Wayne was such a great man for taking him in. He knew that some of the wealthy affiliates looked at him as if he were some type of pet, like a lost puppy taken in off of the streets, but he also knew he meant more to Bruce than that.

Bruce had brought him here because they were going to go on patrol afterwards, but as soon as the party started he was lost to the crowd. He had shown up a few times to check on Dick, but was always swept away by people wanting to talk about loans or big projects for the city. This particular party was in celebration of a rare plant that was found and could help find cures for cancer. Since Wayne Enterprises sponsored its founding, Bruce of course was the center of attention.

"How much longer is this going to last?" Dick asked aloud, leaning his head back against the wall.

"Are you bored?" someone asked him. He looked to the side and found a woman close to Bruce's age approaching him.

"Um, no ma'am. I just have some school work to do tonight." He covered. He couldn't look ungrateful in this kind of party. He had appearances to keep up.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were. These types of events must seem dull for one as young as you." She smiled. She was a pretty woman dressed in a sparkling green evening gown that matched her eyes, but contrasted with her auburn hair. "May I join you for a while?"

"Sure." Dick said. He was trying to figure out what she actually wanted. No one really spoke to him unless they were waiting staff, or Bruce was nearby. She looked familiar but he couldn't quite place where he had seen her before. "I'm Richard." He introduced himself, extending his hand in greeting.

She shook his hand lightly. "Oh I know who you are, dear. You are quite well known throughout Gotham. My name is Pamela, by the way, no need to call me ma'am."

There was something about her name that was ringing a definite bell. "Um, Pamela have we met before?"

"No, I don't believe so. I think you would remember meeting a woman like me, darling." She smirked, as if she had told a joke but only she knew the punch line. "Besides I've only been to one or two of these things. I don't usually run with this pack of elites, but I came tonight because I was interested in the flower display. Such lovely specimens," she said playing with the corsage on her wrist. "I never imagined I would be able to meet you here though."

"Um, it was nice meeting you too." Dick replied. There was something off about this woman though. A warning signal was going off in his head to leave, but he couldn't see any real danger. She seemed like any other person at the party.

"Do you get lonely being the only child at these parties?" Pamela asked.

Dick shrugged. "I suppose you could say that, but Bruce always does his best to make sure I'm happy."

"Hm, he's a lucky man." She murmured. "You know I can't have children, but I would have loved to have a son like you. You are so well behaved and talented Richard. It must be hard living with Bruce Wayne though." Pamela said. The nice tone to her voice faded away when she mentioned Bruce.

"It's not hard, really. Bruce is actually very caring and has helped me in more ways than I could have ever imagined." Dick responded. He really didn't like when people criticized Bruce. He did so much for the city and most of it people weren't even aware of.

"But it would appear that you're lacking a mother's touch. I could always take you away from here if you wanted." Her voice had changed to a sickly sweet sound.

He didn't know how to react to that. "Uh, I'm quite happy where I am now." He managed to say. Dick really felt the need to get away now; she was starting to freak him out. Crazy being one of the keywords that kept popping up in his mind.

"Well, I'm sure I could change your mind." She laughed. Dick inched away from her. "But I better get going. I'm on a schedule after all," Pamela pulled out a compact from her small clutch and opened it up. It seemed simple enough, some powdered make-up and a mirror. Dick watched her carefully looking for an opening to leave. He was just about to round the corner when she suddenly latched on to his arm with an unnaturally strong grip.

"Now dear, don't leave without dismissing yourself. We aren't finished talking yet." She turned the compact to the side and blew on it lightly, causing the dust to float into the air, covering Dick with the powder as well. Dick coughed and tried to brush it off of his face.

"Sorry it had to be done." Pamela said.

"What?" Dick asked completely confused by the situation. He felt like his world had tilted slightly and stumbled against the wall. "What did you do?"

"Don't worry. You'll be fine, dear." Pamela said brushing his cheek softly. "I'll take care of you. Now it's time to get what I actually came for."

Chaos suddenly erupted into the room. Skylights shattered and people screamed as vines trailed in through the floor and up the walls. A few of them had Venus flytraps attached that were snipping at some of the drunken party-goers. The vines started snatching up every valuable item they could get a hold of.

"Y-you're Poison Ivy," Dick said. He should have known better. He knew her real name but this person looked completely normal. Ivy's skin was tinted green from the chemical explosion that gave her powers.

"Very good, Richard. Amazing what make-up can hide, right? No one recognizes me and I get away with my precious baby, and you as a bonus." She looked so delighted.

"I won't go with you." Dick spat back defiantly. He wondered what she would even want with him in the first place.

"You have no choice in the matter." Poison Ivy snapped. Dick let out a surprised yelp as vines began to coil around his body, but he felt too weak to fight back. The thorns pricked his skin uncomfortably as he was lifted off the ground and brought face to face with her. "Besides it really won't matter what you want once my powder takes effect."

"Someone will stop you." Dick ground out, futilely trying to pull away from his bonds. All he managed to do was rip his suit jacket.

She laughed. "Dear, no one will stop me. You're going to be my bargaining chip."

Dick groaned as the vines squeezed him a little tighter, and then snickered looking up toward the skylight. "L-looks like you were wrong."

Poison Ivy looked up just as Batman descended down into the ballroom. He tossed small capsules at the plants and they instantly withered as the gases within exploded on them. Batman seemed to be prepared for any type of situation.

"No! My babies!" Ivy screeched and glared over at Batman. "How dare you!"

She commanded her plants to attack Batman. They launched at him but he flipped through them like they were nothing more than mere ribbon, slicing them with Batarangs. He continued to use the weed-killing pellets, making the plants shrivel into decaying mounds on the floor. Ivy let out a frustrated growl. Batman came closer killing off the plants until most of the room was cleared.

"Wait Batman!" Ivy shouted, and her voice quivered with anger. "Unless you want this boy to stop breathing, I suggest you stop maiming my plants." She brought Dick forward so that Batman could see him. The vines constricted around Dick tighter making him gasp involuntarily. One even managed to wrap around his neck like a collar, putting pressure on his throat. Batman's eyes widened slightly at the sight of his ward in Ivy's clutches, and he stopped his assault.

"Good. I didn't actually want to damage such a cute face." She patted Dick's face, and he tried to pull away from her touch. "Now drop your weapons and everything will go smoothly."

Batman hesitated. He never complied with what the villains wanted unless he didn't have a choice, and in this case it was quite obvious Ivy was on edge. He couldn't endanger Dick's life. He dropped the batarangs in his hands to the floor with a clatter. Ivy strode over to the main stage where the rare plant was being displayed and picked it up. The vines holding Dick slithered across the floor behind her like a shadow. She smiled content with the rare flower she currently held in her hands.

"You have the plant, Ivy. Let the boy go." Batman ground out, trying to restrain himself from doing something careless.

"No, Batman. That was not part of the deal. I've come to like Richard. He needs someone other than that pathetic excuse Bruce Wayne, and he'll be leaving with me."

"No, I won't! Let me go you deranged lady!" Dick shouted despite the dangerous pressure on his windpipe.

"Don't you dare talk back to me, Richard." Ivy snapped and ran her hand along his cheek, digging her nails into the skin. Dick winced as blood began to well in the shallow cuts. "Defying me is not a wise choice, dear."

Batman took the distraction as a chance to make his move. In quick movements he had a handful of the capsules that dissolved the plants and threw them into the surrounding area along with a few smoke bombs. Ivy whipped around as she saw Batman advanced toward her, and he quickly disappeared into the fog. She didn't have enough time to move though as he came out behind her and knocked her out with a punch. Ivy fell to the floor where Batman promptly tied her up. The vines holding Dick released him once Ivy lost her concentration and he was cast to the ground as well.

Dick landed with a grunt on his back, panting. Batman knelt down next to him, and helped him sit up. "Are you all right?" he asked, trying to mask the worry in his voice.

Dick moaned and shook his head slightly. "I feel sick. I'm really dizzy." He curled into himself.

"Don't worry, I'll get you help." Batman said, which really meant 'I'll take you home as soon as the cops show up'. He moved Dick to one of the benches along the wall, and let him lay down.

"Did she do something to you?" Batman asked. He grabbed on the clean cloth napkins from a nearby table and pressed it to Dick's cheek.

"I…I don't know. A powder got in my face, but I managed to avoid most of it." Dick whispered, taking hold of the cloth.

Batman stood up away from Dick as he heard the cops start to enter the room. "I'll be back in a minute," Batman told him in a low voice. Dick didn't respond other than a small nod.

Batman walked over to the Commissioner and alerted him of what Ivy had done. He told them that Dick was resting on a bench after the attack but should be fine, and then he vanished up onto the roof.

Commissioner Gordon walked over Dick and bent down on one knee. "How ya doing, kid?"

"Fine, sir." Dick replied quietly.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Gordon asked, keeping a calm voice while talking to Dick. He hated to see Dick involved in these things, especially since he was friends with his daughter.

"Poison Ivy snuck up behind me, and trapped me with her plants. She scratched me too, but Batman saved me." Dick explained briefly.

Gordon watched Dick as he seemed to struggle through his words. "Are you injured anywhere else?"

"Not really," he said quickly. "I just feel a little sick. I think it was the seafood."

"Dick!" the shout came from across the room, and a flustered looking Bruce Wayne had called out to him. He came over to meet him and kneeled down in front of the boy. Sometimes Bruce was quite convincing when he put on an act, although he was genuinely concerned for him. "In all the chaos we got separated. I'm so sorry." Bruce said breathlessly.

"I'm okay. I just want to go home."

"Of course. Is it all right, Commissioner?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, yes. If we have any questions we'll contact you." Gordon said. He patted Dick on the shoulder and rejoined the rest of the police force in detaining Poison Ivy.

Bruce helped Dick up, and supported most of his weight. Dick was barely able to walk on his own. Once they reached the elevators Dick leaned more into Bruce, not able to hold himself up anymore.

"My head is spinning so much," Dick groaned.

"You'll be okay. Alfred is waiting outside with the car, and we'll get you checked up once we get back to the manor." Bruce said reassuringly.

Dick whimpered slightly as he legs gave out, and he started to collapse. Bruce caught him and carefully picked him up in his arms. Bruce looked at him with concern. Dick was extremely pale and he had his eyes shut tight.

Dick glanced up at Bruce. His vision was darkening and his ears had the familiar ring whenever he became lightheaded from a tough workout. "I-I think I'm going to pass out," Dick mumbled and then his head lolled to the side into the crook of Bruce's arm as he lost consciousness. Bruce looked down at Dick worriedly. What did Poison Ivy do to his son?

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**This idea has been plaguing me for months. I initially came up with this story idea last August, but haven't found the inspiration to put it into words until just recently. I love Poison Ivy. She's one of my favorite villains, and I wish she was used more in Young Justice. I've tried to keep her character believable, but I don't have much to go on. I'm basing her personality mostly off Poison Ivy in Batman the Animated Series.  
**

**Feel free to leave comments/reviews. I would really appreciate some feedback on this :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce watched the red numbers impatiently above the elevator doors countdown to the ground floor. It felt like time had slowed down, and he was trapped inside of a small box. Dick had a sickly white face, and perspiration had gathered on his forehead. Luckily he didn't have a fever yet, but that could change at any moment. He needed to get Dick back to the mansion to make sure that he wasn't actually poisoned with something fatal. Poison Ivy was unpredictable when it came to her plants and toxins.

There was a light ding, and the elevator doors finally slid open. Bruce hastily made his way across the lobby without trying to draw too much attention. Party-goers were still in the lingering in the area. Some were sobbing and babbling to the cops, while others were too drunk to even realize an attack had happened. Officers were still swarming in through the front doors, and a few cast him worried glances as they saw Dick unconscious in his arms.

"Oh Mr. Wayne," someone called to him just as he was about to push through the door. He turned around to tell them off, but saw that it was Ivy who had spoken. She smiled tauntingly at him. "Take care of Richard for me. The poor dear, he'll probably be disoriented for a while."

"No thanks to you." Bruce replied coldly.

"You're the one who left the child alone at a party. I was only trying to care for him, make him see that I would be far more nurturing to him than a man who barely pays attention to him."

"You call this caring? You could have traumatized him! And I don't need to explain myself to a woman who attacks kids. I'm only glad that Batman was able to stop you before Dick was seriously injured." Bruce turned his attention to the police escorts, "Please take her away. She's done enough already."

"Yes Mr. Wayne. Sorry for the trouble." One of the officers said, and prodded Ivy in the back with his rifle. "Get moving."

Ivy twisted away angrily. "Don't you dare touch me!" She moved forward and walked past Bruce. "We'll be seeing each other again." She said in a hushed voice, and was led out the glass doors of the building into the waiting squad cars.

Bruce was furious. After everything that had occurred tonight Poison Ivy still had the nerve to threaten him, in front of the cops no less. Dick moaned and brought him back to reality. He couldn't focus on that right now. He left the lobby, and found Alfred waiting for him by the curb. He had the back door of the car open and waiting for the two. Upon seeing Bruce carrying Dick his expression quickly changed to worry.

"Oh my, what happened to Master Richard?"

"Poison Ivy. She snuck into the gala and targeted Dick. She got him with something, but I'm not sure what." Bruce said while sliding into the backseat. "We need to get back quickly."

"Yes sir," Alfred said and closed the doors and got into the driver's seat. The engine was already running, so he pulled out into traffic and sped back to the manor. Alfred watched in the review mirror as Bruce kept a watchful eye on Dick. He was still holding the boy in his arms, and he wouldn't let go anytime soon.

The ride back to the mansion seemed agonizingly long, but eventually the main gates came into view. They opened as the car drove up to them, and Alfred continued on up the drive to the front of the house. Alfred parked the car and got out quickly to help Bruce.

"What shall I do Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as he opened the main doors of the house.

"Dick needs an emergency chemical shower to get rid of any residual chemicals that could be on him from Ivy." Bruce sighed. He didn't want to put Dick in the cold water of the shower in this condition, but it was for the best. Who knows what he could have been exposed to. "Can you get him a change of clothes and meet me down in the cave?"

"Of course, Master Bruce," Alfred said and disappeared up the stairs to the bedrooms.

Bruce walked into the back study on the far side of the house where the grandfather clock was. He opened the glass case, while carefully balancing Dick in his arms, and pulled on the pendulum. The clock slid to the side along the wall and revealed a stone staircase leading down into the Batcave. The sound of bats wings could be heard echoing off of the walls as Bruce walked down the steps and the lights turned on.

Bruce placed Dick on a hospital bed in the small medical area of the cave. "Dick, come on. Wake up for me." He tapped his uninjured cheek lightly in an attempt to rouse him.

Dick whimpered and his eyes fluttered open. "What's happening?" he asked groggily.

"I have to put you in the shower for a few minutes. Do you understand, Dick?"

"Why?" his eyes were glassy, and his words slurred ever so slightly.

"Because you told me Ivy got some kind of dust on you. We have to wash it off.

Dick hummed a response as his eyes slipped close again. Bruce took off Dick's suit, and set it aside to analyze later for substance residue. He then brought Dick over to the shower. He turned the water on and placed Dick under the spray, holding him up under his arms while his used a washcloth on his face and hair. Dick moaned and woke up once more, trying to get away from the water.

"N-no more," he said.

"Shh, I know it's cold. It's almost over," Bruce said trying to comfort him the best he could.

After a few minutes, he finally turned the shower off. Dick was shivering now, and mumbled something incoherent. Bruce quickly wrapped him in a towel. Alfred stood nearby and handed Bruce a pair of pajamas to put on Dick to keep him warm. After he was dried off he put him back in the hospital bed to rest, and keep an eye on him while Bruce worked.

"Bruce," Dick whispered. "My head hurts."

"I know, but you're safe now. You'll feel better soon."

"I feel really sick. Were we in a fight?"

"Yes, but you'll be okay. Just rest and we can talk in the morning." Bruce told him.

Dick closed his eyes once again. Alfred brought the first aid kit over to the bedside, and grabbed some antiseptic, gauze, and medical tape. The marks on Dick's face were an angry red by this point, and his cheek had swelled up some.

"How did Master Richard get these scratches?" Alfred asked while wiping them carefully with the antiseptic.

"Poison Ivy's nails," Bruce growled. "She tried to take him with her. If I had been only a few seconds later she might have gotten away with him too."

"Dreadful woman." Alfred finished patching up Dick and packed the supplies away.

"She's planning something, and until we figure out what it is, we need to keep an eye on Dick."

"Of course."

Bruce pulled the blankets up to Dick's shoulders. Dick was still extremely pale but his body appeared to be less tense than before. He patted his head and then he grabbed the suit jacket. Bruce brought it over to a table by the computer that had different instruments on it, and set to work.

"Shall I bring you some coffee, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.

Bruce nodded his response as he quickly became absorbed in examining the clothing for clues. He swabbed the collar of the jacket for the powder and placed it in the computer for analysis. It began to run through the chemical compounds, the computer organized them into different categories, but it was going to take a while to figure everything out. Alfred returned briefly with some coffee, placing it next to Bruce as he worked. He then dismissed himself from the room. Bruce looked over at Dick occasionally to make sure that he was all right and resumed his analysis on the compound. He was going to figure out what Ivy did if it took him all night.

* * *

**Another chapter. Thanks for the awesome response on the first chapter. It was great, I really appreciate it. I know this chapter probably isn't the most exciting piece yet, but it will get better. Let me know what you think! **

**P.S.**

**I was not expecting the time jump in the second season of Young Justice. Its cool to see Nightwing, but I'm gonna miss young Dick Grayson. And where did Wally go? I miss him too.**


	3. Chapter 3

Sometimes there was no concept of time when one was in the Batcave. The sun had no way of coming in so only when the clocks chimed distantly from the house or some of the bats in the deeper parts of the cave quieted, Bruce could tell it was morning. Yet he was not paying attention to any of that as he was so swept up in a collage of chemical equations and science. Bruce wasn't aware of anything else until suddenly Dick appeared at his side looking up at the screen. It almost startled Bruce because he wasn't expecting Dick to be up and about, especially after how ill he appeared during the night.

"What are you working on?" Dick asked rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "And why am I down in the cave?"

"I'm trying to decode Ivy's chemical compound. It's surprisingly complex; I haven't been able to figure it out yet. Trace elements of some household plants, but there's something else too. I might have to ask Barry for a second opinion later." Bruce told him, typing commands into the computer.

"Where did you get the chemical from?"

"There was some on your suit."

Dick watched Bruce and then stared at the computer screen, a confused expression on his face. "Wait…when did I fight Poison Ivy? Is that why I slept down here?"

Bruce stopped working and turned toward him. Dick looked okay physically. His complexion was normal, and besides the bandage on his cheek and the light bruising around his neck from the vines, he appeared to be healthy. "Last night, remember? She was in disguise and attacked you."

Dick's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the events. "We were supposed to be going to some kind of gala, right? I remember putting on my suit. I don't remember the party, maybe some things but it's hazy. Did she do this to me?" Dick asked pointing at his face.

"Yes, but please focus. You really don't remember what happened?"

Dick shook his head. "No. I'm drawing a complete blank."

Bruce frowned. Trauma could explain the memory loss, or even shock. Yet it still made Bruce uneasy that Dick couldn't remember, he didn't want to admit that it could be because of Poison Ivy and her mystery dust. "Do you feel all right? Any headaches or nausea?"

"I feel fine. Just a little confused I guess, and a slight headache." Dick answered. "So if we did go to the party that means its Saturday morning, right?"

"Yes, it's Saturday. You were supposed to meet with Wally today, but I think you should stay here with Alfred." Bruce said putting a file from his computer onto a drive. He proceeded to get up and change into his Batman suit.

"Aw, come on Bruce. I'm okay…even though I can't remember last night." Dick said, pausing at the end of his sentence. He wasn't exactly making a convincing argument.

"That's precisely why I would like you to stay here and relax."

"Please let me go, I don't get to hang out with Wally a lot during the school year. We'll just play some video games or something."

Bruce looked at Dick and huffed. "Okay. You can go while I'm up on the Watchtower. Go get changed."

"Thanks!" Dick said happily, and ran out of the cave towards the main house.

Bruce wanted to keep him here, but he knew arguing with him wouldn't get them anywhere fast. Anyway Dick appeared to be all right, but even that bothered him some. He seemed so sick the night before and now he was perfectly normal. Well, mostly. There was still this nagging in the back of Bruce's mind. He was missing something, and until he figured it out he wouldn't be satisfied. Dick could relapse or something worse. Poison Ivy was a dangerous woman and he couldn't take any chances.

Bruce was taken from his thoughts as Dick came back down the stairs a few minutes later. He was dressed in casual jeans and a t-shirt, and his sunglasses in the front pocket of his black jacket. A piece of toast was in his hand, a bite missing from the top. "Ready to go?"

"Call me if you start to feel…off. You were pretty out of it last night." Bruce said, pulling the cowl up over his face.

"I will. Don't worry." Dick said walking into the zeta-beam teleporter in the cave. Bruce was at the computer console putting in the coordinates for the cave.

"And no rough housing at the mountain today, or I'll send you back home."

Dick looked like he was about to question him but then the zeta-beam activated and whisked Dick away in a flash of white light. Bruce hurried and entered the teleporter afterwards. The sooner he figured out what purpose the chemical served the better it would be for everyone.

Dick walked out of the zeta-beam as it announced his presence in the cave. He looked back at it with a bewildered expression on his face. "This isn't the Central City." he muttered to himself and walked forward. He thought Bruce messed up on the coordinates but then Wally appeared a moment later. He jogged over to him with a sandwich in his hand.

"Hey dude, what took you so long?" He asked taking a bite of his snack.

"Uh, rough night I guess." Dick said following Wally into the living room.

"Oh, right. Party too hard?" Wally asked jokingly. "Well glad you could make it. What do you wanna do today? Connor and Megan are here somewhere and Kaldur might show up later, but for the moment it's just me and you."

"I don't know. Anything's fine." Dick said distractedly. He was looking around the room like he was searching for something.

"Okay, I got a new game we could play. Great graphics too, you'll love it." Wally said and walked over to the television to set up the game console. He was unwinding the controllers when he noticed Dick wasn't even paying attention. "What are you looking for?"

"Huh?" Dick asked not really paying attention to the conversation.

Wally stopped messing with videogame to focus on Dick. "You look totally lost. What's up?"

"I guess you could say that. Where are we?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where is this? It looks like some sort of cave, but since when do we hang out here?" Dick asked seriously.

"Dude, are you trying to be funny because I'm not getting the joke."

"No. I thought I was going to Central City to hang out at your house, and the next thing I know I'm in another version of the Batcave, except this one is a little brighter."

"This is Mount Justice. You know the place where we train with our team for missions and hang out. Why are you asking? Did you get hit in the head?"

"What's going on?" Megan's voice filtered into the room as she and Connor entered through the kitchen. "Both of you are emanating the feeling of confusion, but Robin more so than Wally."

Dick tensed as Megan and Connor came closer. None of this made any sense, no matter how hard he tried to sort everything out. He knew Mount Justice was the original hideout for the Justice League, but since when did he start using it? And what team? And then there were these two people who were complete strangers to him, but Wally seemed to know them just fine.

"Wally, I have no idea what's going on." Dick whispered. "I can't remember anything. This cave...you two" he said pointing at Connor and Megan. "I have no idea who you are!"

Megan moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Dick flinched, but didn't brush her hand away like he wanted to. "Robin, calm down please. I'm the niece of Martian Manhunter. And this is Conner; he's a clone of Superman. We're you're friends."

Dick looked at her, and then to Wally for so sort of encouragement. He nodded and Dick relaxed a bit. "Okay. I believe you, but I still don't get why I can remember Wally, but not the two of you."

"If you let me I can read your mind, and see if there's something blocking your memories, like the time in Bialya." Dick just stared at her with a more perplexed face. "Uh sorry, don't worry about that last part. May I read your mind? I promise not to be too invasive, but this could give us some answers."

"Um, sure. If you think it can help."

"All right," She placed her hands gently by his temple, and he eyes began to glow green. "Relax Robin, this won't hurt." She whispered to him. They stood like that for a few minutes. Wally and Conner waited beside them until Megan finally placed her hands by her side, and Dick looked up at her for an answer.

"Did you find anything?"

Megan nodded, and looked at Robin with worried eyes. "Yes, I believe so. And I think we should contact Batman."

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**Sorry that it took a while to update, but I've been busy. Please let me know what you think of this one, I hope it doesn't feel too rushed. ****Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter too! :)**  



	4. Chapter 4

Silence fell over the four of them as they all watched Dick's reaction to Megan's words. It must have been serious if Megan wanted to call Batman down from the Watchtower. Dick appeared to be processing everything in his head. How was all of this was happening and should Dick even trust this girl he only met minutes ago?

"Do we really have to call Batman? He said he was going to the Watchtower…I remember seeing that in some files I wasn't supposed to be looking in. I don't think we should bother him. I'm all right." Dick said, trying to brush off the intense feeling that had entered the room. All eyes were on him and it made him want to back into the shadows.

"I think it would be best." Megan said and turned to go to the holo-computers in order to call Batman. Although Dick latched onto her arm before she could move. "Wait, are you absolutely sure that there's something wrong? You're not just playing some elaborate joke on me right, because that's what this feels like." Dick said.

"I'm not joking. None of us are." Megan reassured him gently.

"Then what's wrong with me? I feel fine right now."

Megan sighed. "I don't know exactly, but there's some sort of block in your mind. Your memories are there, but they are slowly being covered up by…some kind of entity. Your conscious mind has no way to access those thoughts. I can't fix it either."

"Rob, how old are you?" Wally asked suddenly.

Dick turned to him. "I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"Just answer it, please."

"I'm twelve." Dick responded with a huff.

"You lost an entire year." Conner said quickly.

"What…no, that can't be right." Dick said.

"Rob, you're actually thirteen. Whatever is going on inside of that brain of yours has stopped almost an entire years worth of memories. That's why you can't remember Conner or Megan."

Dick looked like he didn't know what to say next. His mouth was shut tight, and there were creases in his brow. He was trying to make all the pieces fit, but the puzzle just wasn't coming together for him. Didn't Batman say he was sick last night? He must have screwed up royally for his memories to just vanish like they did. Batman had no idea either. _He's going to be so angry when he finds out_, Dick thought. His train of thought was interrupted when the computer suddenly announcing Batman's arrival.

"Recognized: Batman 02. Flash 04."

The four of them went to meet the new arrivals at the zeta-beam teleporters. Batman looked furious, and Flash just looked concerned. Dick stood behind Wally because he didn't want to face Batman at the moment. He looked madder than Dick had originally thought.

"Dick," Batman called to him, and Dick just looked at him in shock. He said his name in front of strangers, when clearly they only seemed to know him by his alter-ego.

"Y-yeah?" He answered, and stepped forward a bit. Batman seemed to relax slightly.

"Good. I just needed to make sure you knew your name."

"How…Batman, we didn't call you about the memories yet."

Batman looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Um, Batman," Megan spoke up. "When Robin first arrived at the cave he didn't recognize us. He only knew Wally, and I found out that Robin's memories have been blocked from his conscious mind. How did you know he was having problems?"

"Last night we were at an event and Dick was caught off guard by Poison Ivy. She got him with a powder and just now Flash and I discovered that it can suppress the mind's ability for recollection. It's almost like a virus on a computer. Apparently it's not fast acting, but without a way to stop it the virus will keep spreading until the program is deleted." Batman explained.

"So what exactly does that mean?" Conner asked.

"It means that Dick's memories will slowly be covered up until there is a complete amnesia effect."

"It looks like it can be stopped, but it will take some time to reverse engineer the chemicals used." Flash added.

When Flash was finished Batman's eyes fell upon Dick. He looked genuinely upset now.

Dick stared down at his sneakers, his sunglasses sliding off the bridge of his nose, not wanting to make eye contact. When he finally looked back at Batman the shades slipped off falling to the ground with a clatter, and revealed Dick's eyes. They were bright with tears that refused to be shed, and sadness was etched into his features. "So I'm going to just forget everything?" He didn't know what else to say or how to act. He knew he should probably put on some kind of front and pretend that it didn't bother him, but it truly did. His memories, especially those of his parents, were like treasures to him. They were invaluable.

Batman walked over to Dick and knelt down so that he was level with him. "Dick," he started softly. "We will find a way to fix this. I don't believe it is permanent. Megan said they were blocked, not gone. All right?"

Dick nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Okay. But how long do I have until I can't remember anything at all? Wally said I've lost about a year already."

"A year?" Batman frowned. He didn't think about asking what he did remember, and learning that he lost that much time in one evening was disconcerting. "There's no way to estimate how long it will take for the memory loss to fully take effect. You lost a year during the night. That was about twelve hours of sleep; it could go at the same rate or slower than that because you're awake."

"This just doesn't add up though."Dick huffed. "Why did Ivy do this to me? What does she gain from it?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out. Trust me, Dick."

"I do… why do you keep calling me by my name? I thought you wanted it to be a secret." He asked, his voice falling into a whisper at the end of the question.

"Because you've been Dick longer than you've been Robin. If we don't figure out how to reverse what Ivy has done quickly enough, I still want you to be able to recognize yourself when someone speaks to you."

"Are you leaving then?" Dick asked.

"Flash and I will be within reach. We'll figure this out and everything will be normal again."

"I know. Just don't take too long. I…I don't want to forget you too."

Batman pulled Dick into a quick hug, and then stood up. "You won't." Batman turned to the teammates who were waiting patiently in the background. "Take care of him."

"We will," Wally answered.

"Call him by his real name from now on…just in case." Batman said.

Wally nodded. "Okay."

"Keep us updated, Kid," Flash said to Wally.

"Sure thing."

"See you later." Dick said, giving a quick wave as the two Justice League members re-entered the zeta-beam teleporters, and then promptly disappeared from the cave. Dick wasn't too fond of having to be looked after like a young child, but he understood all of their concern. This wasn't exactly a problem that could be ignored, no matter how much he wished it was.

The four left in the cave looked at one another, looking lost at what they should do next. Dick bent down to pick up his sunglasses from the floor and placed them in his coat pocket. "I suppose I won't need these then." He muttered. "I guess this isn't exactly how everyone expected to spend their Saturday, right?"

"It's okay Dick." Megan responded. "These things tend to happen a lot anyway."

"Well what should we do now?" Wally asked.

"Video games?" Dick suggested with a small smile. "It's not like we can do much else."

Wally shrugged. "Why not? Let's go."

They wandered back into the living room, and Dick sat down on the couch. Wally sat down next to him and handed him a controller. As the game started, Dick began to hit the buttons, commanding his virtual player forward. Although he wasn't quite paying attention to the game, his thoughts still dwelled on everything that was happening. It was difficult to grasp the fact that he was going to lose every memory and couldn't do anything to stop it.

* * *

**First, thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter! You guys are fantastic and it really makes my day when I know people are enjoying the stories I write. So here's another chapter...two updates in one week :) As always let me know what you think!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

About a half an hour had passed since Batman had left the cave. Dick and Wally had been playing their game with Conner watching quietly, and Megan was nearby in the kitchen. She had said something about a surprise and then promptly disappeared. Wally appeared to be having fun, but Dick just wasn't all that into it. If it had been any other day he would be consumed with defeating the levels, and breaking down every component of the game just to see how it worked. Although now he was just too preoccupied with the ordeal that surrounded him.

Dick pressed the pause button on the game, and Wally turned to him. "Aw, man! I was totally winning!"

"Sorry," Dick said. "I can't concentrate. This whole thing is still bothering me and I don't know what to do."

Wally set his controller on the coffee table. "Yeah I know. But Bats will figure out something. He always does."

"Still, I just feel like I can't sit here and do nothing. What am I supposed to do while he figures it out? Wait until I blackout and then we'll have to start all over again with the introductions?" Dick moved to his feet and began to pace. "I don't like not having the answers I need."

"Dude, none of us do but sometimes there's nothing we can do about it."

"I understand that, but usually I'm the one solving the problems. I'm not used to being the cause of the issue."

"You cause plenty of problems." Wally joked.

Dick flopped back into the couch cushions with a sigh. "You're not helping." Dick said to Wally. Then he watched as Conner suddenly got up from the chair on the side of the room, and left without a word. "He doesn't say much, does he?"

"Mm, yeah. It depends on his mood, but he's a pretty great guy."

"You said he was Superman's clone. How'd that happen?"

"Uh, long story. We were with Kaldur and found this secret science lab in D.C. called Cadmus. That's how this team got started."

"Wow, just the three of us?"

"Yep. The League wasn't too happy about it either."

"I can imagine, but that sounds so cool. Batman would probably ground me for a week." Dick laughed only to be cut off by Megan when she yelped, followed by sound of something shattering.

"Uh-oh. I'll be right back." Wally said and disappeared into the kitchen an instant later. Conner came back in the room when Wally left with something in his hands.

"Is that girl…I mean is Megan all right?" Dick asked since Conner had walked past the kitchen door.

Conner nodded. "A plate just slipped out of her hand. She's okay." Conner sat down on the couch next to Dick where Wally had been. "Here," he handed Dick a notebook and a pen. "You can write down some of the important things that you want to keep in mind…um just in case you blackout again."

Dick looked down at the materials in his lap. "Oh thanks. That's a good idea."

"I think we can all relate to your situation in some way." Conner said quietly.

"You've all had a toxin erase your memories?"Dick asked.

"No, but a while ago we were on a mission together in Bialya. We all lost six months worth of memory due to a psychic, but for me I lost every sense of being because I hadn't been alive that long. I can remember how I was acting now and it wasn't…pleasant. I was like some feral animal caught in a rage that couldn't be stopped. It was an awful feeling, almost painful."

"That sounds…intense. But everything's okay now?"

"Yeah. Afterwards I kept a journal of events because I never wanted to feel that lost ever again. I guess it kept me grounded."

Dick opened the notebook, and idly flipped through the blank pages. "Where did you get the idea for a journal?"

"A friend gave me the idea even though I didn't want to listen to him at first. I thought it was a stupid idea but I was wrong."

Dick watched Conner for a moment. "Was I that friend?" He asked carefully.

Conner nodded. Dick smiled softly. This had actually made him feel a lot better. It didn't solve the problem he was facing, but it kept his priorities in line. He could keep his identity with him; write it down in black and white so that nothing could take it away from him completely.

"Thanks a lot, Conner." Dick opened the first page and pulled the cap off the pen. He wrote one line, 'My name is Richard Grayson' to start and then he shut the book.

"Richard?" Conner asked confused. "But I thought your name was Dick?"

"Dick is a nickname for Richard. My mother used to call me by it all the time, and I like it. Not a lot of kids go by Dick anymore, a little old-fashioned I suppose, but then again our whole lifestyle up until the moment I met Br…Batman was sort of from another time." Dick explained happily. He enjoyed the sentiments that the past possessed.

Conner nodded in understanding. "Your parents are they… no longer around?"

"Um, no. They…they were killed a few years ago."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad feelings. You've never really spoke about them before, I didn't know." Conner said, looking slightly uncomfortable at where the conversation had turned.

"It's okay. I don't mind talking about it once in a while."

They sat there for a minute; Conner appeared to be listening to something in the distance. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, sorry Dick. Wally's trying to eat everything in the kitchen again. I'll be back." Conner got up and patted Dick on the shoulder as he left.

Dick liked Conner. He didn't appear to be the sentimental sort, but he really helped Dick out a lot. It was odd because he felt like a total stranger, but telling Conner things about himself made it feel as though he had been around him for a long time.

After Conner left the room he opened the notebook up and stared at the lines on the pages. He began to write, filling the space with everything he could think to put into words. His parents were the first thought to pop in his head, their names and their favorite things. He hadn't written their names down in ink in such a long time. It felt nice as the pen glided over the paper, the familiar curves of the letters holding together the one of the most important pieces of his past.

Next he wrote about Haly's circus and all of the skills he possessed. He discussed how he was able to do a quadruple flip in the air, the youngest person to ever achieve such a feat. Dick wrote down every aspect of himself in the pages, how he was a skilled acrobat, an excellent student (two years ahead of his age group), and most importantly that he was a hero.

Dick finished for the moment and dropped the pen onto the couch. He looked back at what he wrote as he had feverishly filled up almost ten full pages worth of information. Conner's idea to have Dick write everything down was helpful, it calmed him a bit, but it still got him thinking.

"This is one of the cruelest things I think I've ever faced," he muttered as he shut the notebook. The journal was awesome, but it wouldn't be necessary if this whole thing never happened in the first place. Dick had a great memory. He could memorize mathematical equations and recite them back within the hour. To think that his mind was being manipulated frustrated him to no end, but then again he hadn't realized he had forgotten anything in the first place until Wally pointed it out. If it happened again he would be in the same situation all over again, so really was there a point in trying to grasp on to his memories when they would just slip right through the cracks anyway?

"No!" he said forcefully. "No, I can't think this way. Every memory…every experience is important. Even though I didn't know what had happened until now, doesn't mean I should just push it aside." Dick let out a huff, covering his eyes with his hands. He had a headache that just seemed to get worse by the minute, and fretting over the situation wasn't helping it dissolve any quicker.

He got up off the couch to find the others since he had been sitting in the living for a while. They could probably give him an aspirin to get rid of the headache. As he walked down the hall where he saw Wally and Conner move towards he stopped suddenly seeing a shadow along the wall.

"Well, if it isn't Dick Grayson." The unfamiliar female voice called to him. "I've had my suspicions about you for a while now; I just never expected that I would find out so easily." She smirked, and Dick fell back into a defensive stance.

"Whoa, chill." She held up her hands defensively, taking a step forward."What's your problem?"

She was wearing jeans, a dark top, and her long blonde hair was tied back. He relaxed slightly when he realized that she wasn't going to hurt him."Um, you startled me."

"Oh, sorry. Everything okay? You're the one that's normally jumping out of the shadows, I didn't think I'd catch you so off guard." She explained.

"It's been an off day for me."

"I can see that. You aren't wearing your sunglasses, and you look exhausted." She said.

Dick shrugged. "Yeah I know. I could probably use some more sleep. Anyway uh…your part of this team right?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Yes. What kind of question is that?"

"Just…what's your name?"

"Are you and Wally trying to pull some kind of prank on me?" She asked looking around for the redhead.

"Did someone call my name?" Wally popped his head out of the doorframe of the nearby kitchen. "Oh, Artemis…didn't know you were here. Everything all right Dick?"

Dick nodded while Artemis just stared at the two, perplexed. "Since when have you started calling him Dick?"

"Since he lost his memory." Wally said quickly. "He doesn't remember the last year. I'll explain later."

Artemis face fell as she watched the two. She could tell it was true by the way Dick was looking at her now. "Seriously? I really need to start coming to the mountain earlier."

"Come on, I'll bring you up to speed." Wally said motioning for them to come into the kitchen. Dick rubbed his temples trying ease the headache that was quickly transforming into a migraine. Artemis walked into the kitchen and Dick trailed in after her hoping that the headache didn't progress into something worse. Unfortunately luck didn't appear to be on his side today.

* * *

**This chapter was giving me some problems. Mainly Conner. I find him to be a difficult character to write, but I feel like he definitely has the ability to be empathetic towards these kinds of situations. I tried my best to make it a believable scene. Please let me know what you think, and thanks again for reading and commenting! **


	6. Chapter 6

Dick watched Artemis warily as she walked over to the breakfast bar. He knew from the way Wally had spoken to her that she had to be a member of the team, but since he had no recollection of her he was a little on edge. It was irrational because he didn't feel like that around Conner or Megan, it was probably because of how she had surprised him earlier upon her arrival. Yet as he continued to watch her, he could see that she wasn't going to be a problem; there was obviously some kind of connection between her and Wally.

He walked further into the room the sweet aroma of baked goods filled the kitchen. It was a familiar scent that helped to ease the doubts in his mind. Dick sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

Megan was talking to Conner happily but stopped to greet them when they entered the room. "Hi Artemis!"

"Hey, Megan. It smells great in here. What are you making?" Artemis asked.

"Oh I made some cookies for everyone. They're your favorite, Dick."Megan pointed to a plate of cookies on the counter.

Dick looked at the platter she was gesturing to and picked up one of the cookies. After realizing that they were indeed his favorite, chocolate chip with walnuts, he grinned. "Wow, thanks Megan. These are great."

"I'm glad you like them. I wanted to make something to cheer you up because I know this situation is difficult for you."

"Thank you." Dick said while finishing off the cookie.

There was a slight pause in the conversation and then Artemis chimed in. "All right, I'm trying to be patient, and since Megan mentioned it…can someone let me in on what's going on here? Why can't you remember anything?" Artemis asked as calmly as possible.

Dick shrugged his shoulders attempting to look nonchalant, but his eyes betrayed his emotions. It was quite clear that he was upset about the subject. "I'm still not entirely sure. I woke up this morning thinking everything was fine, and then I find out I'm missing an entire years worth of memory. Something Poison Ivy did to me is causing my memories to fade out."

"So she attacked you? Is she also the one that wounded your face?" Artemis questioned.

"Um yeah. I guess so."Dick touched that the gauze patch on his face gingerly. "I'm pretty sure she did this too." He pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing the bruises that marred his neck. Everyone stilled, staring at the marks in shock.

"Uh, okay I think I got it. So we're using your real name because you're suffering from some kind of bizarre memory loss. Why don't we just go and find Ivy? We can demand that she hand over an antidote."

"Does super villain mean anything to you?" Wally quipped.

"She's clever," Dick added. "I've only dealt with her a few times…or at least from what I can think of. Poison Ivy won't just hand over a cure to you." Dick leaned forward, resting his elbows on the countertop and leaning his head against his hands. "Anyway Batman seems to have everything figured out for the moment, and…um." Dick stopped and frowned.

"What's up, Dick?" Wally asked.

"Nothing really, just something came to mind. Megan… do you have a red ship?"

Megan smiled. They hadn't mentioned the bio-ship yet, so this had to be a good sign. "Yes, do you remember it?"

Dick nodded. "I think so. I just got this brief flash of a ship, but it didn't look like anything on Earth, and then I had this vague feeling that I had been inside it before."

"Is there anything else you can remember?" Megan urged.

"A trip, I think." Dick closed his eyes in an attempt to better visualize the memory. "Or maybe it was a mission except we were all dressed in civilian clothes. There was also something about tornadoes? I can't focus on the specifics, everything else is completely hazy." Dick opened his eyes to look at the others for some sort of confirmation that what he was thinking about was an actual memory.

"Sounds like it could be our first mission together." Conner said.

"It's good that you can remember that, even if it is a partial memory." Artemis tried to encourage Dick.

"Uh, yeah." Dick responded, although he didn't sound completely happy.

Wally watched Dick carefully. He could see that by the way he held himself, something wasn't quite right. "Dude, you okay?"

Dick shook his head. "No, I've got a migraine starting. It's been bothering me for a little while now. Could I have some aspirin?"

"Sure, I'll go grab some from the medical ward." Wally said and quickly zipped out of the room. Megan grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She set it in front of Dick right as Wally came back into the room. "Here you go." He handed over two tablets, and Dick gratefully took them.

"Thanks. I don't usually get such bad headaches."

They all frowned at the comment. It wasn't something they wanted to admit to, but perhaps Dick's migraine was a side-effect to Poison Ivy's chemical since it had affected his mind. "Maybe you should lay down for a bit." Megan suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good." Dick moved to get down off the barstool, but suddenly he gasped as though he were in pain. His foot caught on the bottom rung of the stool, and was unable to right himself. It was like they were all watching the scene in slow motion. Dick began to fall.

Fortunately Artemis was standing next to him and reacted quickly. She reached out, grabbing his arm, and pulled him towards her. Yet with the momentum of both bodies they were both forced to the floor. Artemis fell onto her back with Dick still in her arms.

Their bodies collided with the ground with a dull thud, and the chair smacked against the floor with a hollow wooden echo. The two laid still on the ground for a moment, just taking in what had occurred.

"Are you two okay?" Wally asked leaning down next to them.

"I'm fine," Artemis looked to Dick who was still lying across her stomach. "Dick?"

He took a moment to respond. "I'm…ugh not so good." He carefully moved away from Artemis and rolled onto his back. He kept his eyes closed tight, every muscle in his body taut.

"Dick, you could have cracked your head open on the counter." Artemis chided, sitting next to him on her knees. "What happened?"

"Feels like I did." He mumbled. "I was getting tunnel vision." He added with a quiet groan.

"Do you want to be moved to the sofa?" Megan asked.

"No, the fall made me motion sensitive." Dick said drawing a deep breath. "I feel like I'm being bounced around on a trampoline. I can't move yet."

Conner went towards one of the cabinets and grabbed some fresh dish towels. He handed them to Artemis. "Put them under his head if he's going to lay there for a while."

"Good idea. Dick I'm going to move you just a little, all right?" Artemis gently lifted his head, placing the towels beneath him. His breath hitched as he was moved and a grimace was etched into his features. "What's the matter?"

"Really intense pain." Dick said through gritted teeth. "I've never felt anything like this before."

"Just close your eyes and try to relax." Artemis said.

"But I can't fall asleep." Dick managed to say through ragged breaths. "I'm afraid I'll…"

"It will be okay, Dick" Megan told him softly. "We'll take care of everything. We just want you to feel better as soon as possible." But her response fell on deaf ears as Dick's breathing tapered off from labored breaths to calm ones. He had either fallen asleep or he was unconscious. It was difficult to tell.

"Poor Kid," Artemis murmured.

"Should we call Batman?" Megan asked looking down at Wally and Artemis. "He will want to know what happened to Dick."

"Maybe we should wait for a little while, and um assess the situation. It could just be a headache induced by stress, but if it's not then we can call Bats." Wally suggested. He was just as worried as the rest of them, but he didn't want to unnecessarily involve Batman while he was working on fixing the problem. Dick was okay for the moment.

Conner knelt down next to them on the floor and gently picked Dick up. "I'll put him on the couch." He said and then left the room.

Artemis was glaring at the ground where Dick had previously been lying. "We really should just bust up Ivy for this."

Wally sighed. "She's already in Arkham. I don't think there's any point. Except to find out what she did to him, although I would love to beat her up just as much as you do."

"Well we should do something. You saw Dick. He was in so much pain, Wally. We can't just sit here and do nothing, when you know there's something that can be done to help him." Artemis argued.

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Wally, Artemis." Megan interjected. "Stop fighting. You aren't going to get anything accomplished by acting this way."

They both relaxed and looked to Megan. She was right. "Okay," Wally started. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Perhaps we should alert Kaldur. I'm sure he would want to know about this, and then we can think of something from there."

"Yeah, that will work. Probably should have called him sooner." Wally said. The three of them then proceeded out of the kitchen towards the computer, hoping that maybe they would be able to discover a better way to help Dick.

* * *

**Sorry this took a little while to get done. I wanted to do weekly updates but the story got away from me. I was having some difficulties with this chapter, mainly the pacing. I felt like I was going too fast, and I'm sorry if it still feels that way. Please let me know what you think. I always appreciate feedback :)**


	7. Chapter 7

A thick, white haze hung around Dick like a cloak making him shiver from its misty touch. He stared into the dense void trying to get a grasp on his surroundings, but he couldn't recall how he had ended up here in the first place. This space was unlike anything he had ever seen before and somehow it had a sense of familiarity. Dick started to walk forward hoping that the fog would clear or at least maybe he would run into something.

As he made his way through the mist dark silhouettes began to form behind the veil surrounding him. He could make out different landmarks that he had seen through his travels with the circus. There was the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. Even Wayne Mansion was looming in the distance. People he had met walked around like they didn't even see him, and vanished just as quickly as they appeared. It was creepy to say the least.

As he walked further down the path the silhouettes began to lose their shape, becoming dark masses. Dick tried to go towards one of the figures he couldn't make out, but it seemed to only get further away. It didn't make sense, but perhaps that was because this wasn't exactly reality. Dick figured this had to be a dream…or a nightmare.

Dick glanced behind him on the endless path to see if the things he had passed were still there, but they were gone. In their place was a tent which he immediately recognized. It was the big top from Haly's Circus. He went inside the tent expecting to see it filled with people bustling about in extravagant costumes, but it was completely empty. He shouldn't have expected anything more, but he was still disappointed.

The only thing in the tent was an old standing mirror with intricate designs on the brass frame in the center ring. He knew the mirror was part of the circus, it went everywhere with them and was normally placed in the costume tent. Dick's mother used to say that the mirror had a history. She told him once that it had been traveling with the circus since it started back in the early 1900's, and it captured the smiles of every person that stood before it. But now it didn't look like it represented those happier moments.

The mirror was cracked. A thousand tiny fissures running along its smooth surface making it look like a puzzle. His reflection was fractured as well, a small part of it was held in each fragment. Dick wanted to touch it, somehow make it whole again but he knew nothing would work even if he tried. Mainly because it wasn't the mirror that was broken, he was broken. He wanted to see the smiling faces of the circus performers behind him. He wanted to know what happened in the past year that he couldn't remember. There were still so many things missing and he didn't know how to make it right again, or if he could be fixed. . He reached out, his fingertips tracing the frame. The mirror pieces exploded, raining down on top of him until he was buried underneath the darkness of the sharp shards.

Dick woke with a start from the chilling dream, a shout dying on his lips. The sense of the glass falling over him still lingered on his skin in the form of a cold sweat. It left him feeling completely disoriented. He didn't know where he was or what was happening. The only thing he was aware of at the moment was that his head hurt too much to contemplate anything, and he felt utterly nauseated.

Dick swung his legs over the side of the couch so he was sitting up, and rested his head in his hands. He couldn't remember why he was on the sofa in the first place, but the rest of the day's events started to come back to him slowly. At least he didn't appear to have lost anymore of his memories.

"Hey Dick," someone touched his shoulder from behind. Dick jumped up and twirled around into a defensive stance. But because he was still dizzy he landed ungracefully on his back when he couldn't get his footing.

"Whoa, I'm so sorry," Wally said and rushed over to help Dick up. "I didn't realize you were still out of it. Did you have a bad dream?"

Dick relaxed upon seeing Wally's face and took his hand. "Thanks, and yeah it was pretty strange."

"Are you okay?"

Dick shook his head. "I've definitely had better days. Something doesn't feel right."

"Like what?"

"I don't know exactly." Dick sighed. "It's just a feeling that I can't shake, you know?"

"Sure. I can understand that especially in your case. I mean you are missing some of your memories. That has to feel pretty weird."

"You have no idea." Dick said getting to his feet. He looked a bit unsteady, and Wally stood by his side just in case he lost his balance again. He seemed to be okay for the moment though. Dick headed for the kitchen.

"What's up?" Wally followed behind him, curious.

"Um, I'm thirsty. How long have I been asleep?"

"Oh about two hours. You passed out in the kitchen from a migraine or something. Freaked everybody out too."

Dick frowned. "Oh. Sorry. I don't remember that part, but I know Megan made cookies."

"You don't have to apologize. We're just glad that you didn't crack your head open on the counter, but you need to give us more of warning next time."

"I'll try," Dick said as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. Artemis was there eating an apple at the breakfast bar. She waved at them as they entered the room.

"Hey."

"Hi," Dick replied and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. He almost fumbled the cup, but caught it at the last second before it could fall to the floor. He sighed and turned on the tap. He noticed his hands were shaking slightly as he drank the water.

"Dick," Artemis called. "Are you all right? You look really pale."

He placed the glass on the counter and turned around to face her. "Honestly no, but I don't think there's much I can do to fix it at the moment."

"Come sit down." She gestured to the chair next to her. He complied.

She turned to him as soon as he was settled, and lightly put her hand to his forehead. She frowned. "Dick, you feel a bit warm. You might have a fever."

Dick just nodded in agreement. "That could explain why I feel so bad."

"You should probably get some rest." Artemis said.

"Maybe I should just go back home. Alfred will be there and he always knows what to do."

"Plus he makes awesome soup." Wally added. "But Bats asked us to look after you."

"Well I don't think he would oppose the idea. He wanted me to stay home this morning anyway, but you can come too. I authorized the system in the Batcave to recognize you, but I don't think Batman would be too happy if I let everyone else in."

"Okay. I can go and we can keep in contact with the others if anything comes up." Wally said.

"All right," Artemis agreed. "But you better not goof off, Baywatch."

Wally just grinned at her. "Come on, Dick. We'll go tell the others what we're doing and then head out."

He slid off the chair and slowly followed Wally out to the zeta-beam transporter. Megan, Conner, and Kaldur were standing around the computer looking at some information. It appeared to be the same thing Batman had been looking at early that morning. They all looked away from the screen when the other three joined them.

"Uh hey, Kaldur." Dick greeted.

"It is good to see you up, my friend. I'm sorry I was not here sooner."

"It's okay." Dick offered a small smile. "This is a little weird though. You look different than what I remember."

"I suppose that's to be expected considering we did not see each other very often in the past."

Dick nodded. "Yeah, for me the last time I saw you it was almost six months ago I think. So I guess it's been a while."

"Is something the matter?" Kaldur asked, taking in Dick's appearance and how he appeared to be in some pain. Dick was obviously not feeling well, and it looked like he was getting slightly worse the longer he was standing.

"Dick has a fever," Artemis told them. "He's going home to get some rest, and Wally is going with him."

"That seems like the best thing to do." Kaldur agreed. "You'll be more comfortable in your own home."

"How did he get a fever?" Megan asked.

No one really had an answer to that question, because they couldn't exactly pinpoint what was making him sick in the first place. It was most likely caused by Ivy's poison, but they couldn't be sure.

"My body is probably fighting off the toxin like it would if I had the flu." Dick said quietly. It was getting difficult for him to keep standing. His body was protesting against him. He was achy and dizzy from the fever and he felt like he would collapse to the ground any second. Dick grabbed onto Wally's arm suddenly when he felt his knees go weak.

"Whoa there." Wally stumbled but managed to wrap his arm around Dick's shoulder, taking on most of his weight.

"Ugh, sorry. My legs gave out on me."

"It's fine. I got you. Let's get going." Wally said and started toward the teleporter.

"I have to type in the command or it won't let us through." Dick muttered. He weakly moved over to the console and put in the codes. "All set."

"Call us if you need anything." Kaldur told them.

"We will." Wally waved, and the two of them walked through the transporter to arrive in the Batcave. It was just as massive as Wally remembered from his previous visit.

The slightly cooler air made Dick shiver. "I hate this." He murmured.

"What?" Wally asked as he moved toward the staircase that would lead them to the main part of the house. He had only been in the cave two times before, but it certainly leaves an impression. Wally could remember almost every aspect of the place, which certainly was convenient now.

"I don't like feeling all weak and helpless. I can't do much of anything without practically tripping over myself." Dick responded.

"I know but sometimes these things happen whether we want them too or not. It's like the one time I got a really bad stomach bug and couldn't keep any food down, but my metabolism still needed it. I was a wreck. We all need help once in a while."

Dick sighed. "I know that, but thanks for being so cool about this."

"Dude, that's what best friends are for!" Wally smiled. "Now let's get you upstairs."

They walked through the cave until they got to the stone staircase that led out into one of the parlors in the main house. Wally was practically carrying Dick now because he just couldn't move anymore. His muscles ached and he didn't have the energy to keep walking.

"You doing okay?" Wally was watching Dick as he moved him through the house.

"Ugh, no," Dick managed to say.

Wally stopped moving and lowered Dick to the floor so he could sit for a moment. "Do you want me to carry you on my back? It'll be easier."

Dick didn't respond, mostly because he was slightly embarrassed that he couldn't even walk around his own house. But he nodded deciding that it would be simpler and less painful for him. Wally crouched down next to him, and carefully pulled Dick onto his back. Wally proceeded down the hall at a quick pace but not fast enough to bother Dick.

They approached the main staircase and began to ascend the steps. However once they got to the top Wally was lost. All of the doors looked the same. "Dick, left or right? I've only been up to this part for like five minutes."

"Left. It's the third door down on your right."

"Got it." Wally headed down the hall, until a voice stopped him.

"Oh my, Master Richard I was not aware that you were here." Alfred said from the other side of the hallway. "And Master Wallace as well."

"Hey Alfred. Um, Dick's not feeling so well so I brought him back." Wally quickly explained.

"Master Bruce called this morning and informed me about what happened." Alfred said and walked ahead of Wally into Dick's bedroom. He turned down the covers and Wally walked up next to it. Dick was lowered onto the floor, and sat down on the bed.

"Thanks again Wally," Dick said. He looked completely worn out as if he had been awake for days straight. It was frightening how his health had deteriorated so quickly.

"Anytime." Wally replied.

Alfred took off Dick's sneakers and helped him to get comfortable in the bed. "Oh dear, you have a fever Master Richard. I'll go get you some medicine. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, Alfred. I think I just need some sleep."

"I'll bring some herbal tea as well. It will help you relax." Alfred said. "Master Wallace, would you like something to eat?"

"Yes. I thought you would never ask." Wally said happily. Dick snickered at Wally's eagerness. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"All right," Dick said, but it was obvious he was drifting off to sleep already.

Wally left the room and followed Alfred down to the kitchen. Alfred set the kettle on the stove to boil some water, and grabbed a bottle of medicine from one of the cabinets.

"What would you like Master Wallace?" Alfred asked.

"You know I'll eat anything. A sandwich is fine with me."

Alfred set about preparing everything, grabbing ingredients out of the refrigerator. Wally was waiting patiently by the counter watching Alfred move through the kitchen. Yet his mind was more focused on his friend. He was worried about Dick, and contemplating whether or not to contact Batman about the situation. It would probably be the smartest thing to do seeing as how Dick appeared to be getting worse. Although Wally feared Batman's reaction the most. He knew he would not be happy when he found out.

"Master Wallace, would you bring this up to Master Richard while I finish preparing the food?"

"Oh sure." Wally grabbed the silver tray and headed back out of the kitchen towards Dick's room.

While on the staircase the most unsettling noise erupted from the second story. The sound of something shattering echoed through the otherwise quiet house. Wally dropped the tray where he stood and sprinted to Dick's room. He threw open the door only to be greeted with a sight that made his heart jump into his throat.

The window had been forced open. Glass was scattered along the carpet shining red in the sunset's dusky glow. Yet worst of all was that Dick was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**It's been way too long since I updated this, so I made the chapter longer. I am so sorry for the wait. The summer has just been busy. Thanks so much for all the reviews so far. As always I appreciate the feedback. :)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Wally stood in the empty bedroom staring at the broken glass across the floor. The way the sun reflected off of the shards made it look like they were drenched in blood. Fortunately that was not the case. Still Wally wondered how such a thing could happen when they were in one of the most secure houses in Gotham City. He was supposed to be looking out for his friend and he turned his back for one minute, and he was gone. Dick was stolen from his bed while he couldn't even defend himself.

"Dear heavens, Master Richard." Alfred had come up to the room after hearing the loud crash. The surprise was evident on his face and the worry as well. "What happened?"

"I don't know. He was gone when I got up here, but whoever took him couldn't have gotten too far." Wally told him. "I'll bring him back." He said, running down the stairs and out the front door as fast as he could.

Wally circled the house, looked in the garden, and searched the grounds outside Dick's bedroom window all in a matter of seconds. He ran to the street, the only road that led down into the city from the mansion, and found no sight of any cars or people. It was as if he had simply vanished.

"Where could he have gone?" Wally said exasperated. He felt like he searched everywhere possible except the sky, but that didn't seem likely.

An idea struck Wally suddenly. He grabbed his telescopic goggles out of his pocket and put them on. Then he climbed one of the trees by the bedroom window, getting as close to the top as possible. Wally changed the goggles to their infrared setting and looked through the trees for any heat signatures. He didn't see anything except for small things like birds, and squirrels. He thought with the vantage point it would be easier to find someone if they were trying to conceal themselves in the thick brush. Finally out in the distance he spotted something more human shaped moving fast through the woods.

"Got ya!"Wally exclaimed.

Wally climbed out of the tree and ran in the direction of the heat signature. He couldn't let his only lead get away, but he was certainly quick enough to catch up. Although it was difficult with the uneven ground, and he had to concentrate so he didn't trip on the loose ground or tree roots.

After only a few seconds of running he could hear something heavy moving about, but couldn't spot anything. Wally stopped short and pulled the goggles back down onto his face. Interestingly enough the heat signature was only a few feet in front of him.

"What the heck?" Wally said to himself. Once more he pulled his goggles back up and was surprised to see what he had missed before. "Oh god."

In front of Wally was something that he couldn't quite describe. It looked it could have been a very large animal, probably a bear, but it appeared to be comprised of the very earth itself. It had thick arms and legs with exposed muscle. The creature's skin was made up with green leaves that allowed it to blend into its surroundings. It had dark beady eyes and fangs coming out of it mouth. Not to mention the claws that looked like they could slice through metal. Dick was unconscious in its arms, almost completely obscured from view by the forest like hide of the creature.

"Dick! Hey man, wake up!" Wally called desperately to Dick, but he didn't stir. The creature let out a feral growl at Wally, but he didn't back down. He needed to get his friend away from the beast before he was hurt. He just didn't know how to go about that exactly. At the moment it was a standoff between Wally and the beast. Physical attacks could evoke the monster to harm Dick. "If only I had the power of telekinesis, this would be so much simpler." He muttered to himself.

"All right, beasty. Put him down and no one gets hurt!" Wally commanded. It wasn't even clear if it could understand human speech, but apparently it got the message. It took off running away from Wally in a very unnatural stride. The thing was almost as fast as a car on a highway, luckily Wally was much faster.

He kept pace with the monster, but whereas Wally fought to maintain his balance, the thing simply glided through the undergrowth. He had to stop it soon or he might lose it.

Without much time to think Wally took the only option he could think of. Wally ran to the monster's side and blindsided it with a full speed tackle. The monster stumbled to ground and landed on its back. Dick slid from its arms and landed on the ground, extremely still. Wally ran over to him to make sure he was all right. A few scratches were on his skin, and his fever was still quite obvious, but for the most part he appeared unharmed. Wally was about to pick him up, but the monster recovered quicker than he had anticipated and swung one of its arms at him. The force of the blow was strong and Wally was thrown backwards into a tree. His head smacked against the trunk hard enough to cause his vision to blackout for a moment.

Dazed, Wally forced his eyes open. He needed to get Dick away from here. The beast was already going for Dick once more. Wally ran at it, but he was too disoriented to try another tackle. His head ached with such intensity that he could easily pass out. He couldn't let this stop him though.

Wally lunged at the monster, but it pushed him back once more. If only he had some of the gadgets Dick always carried around in his utility belt. Wally needed a tracker of some kind because if he got away now they might never see him again.

"My goggles!" Wally almost shouted. Dick had placed a small GPS chip in them a little while ago because Wally kept misplacing them. He ran up to the monster and feinted which direction he was going. As quickly as he could he managed to put the goggles in Dick's pocket before the monster caught on again. Wally managed to pick up Dick, but as soon as he got him in his arms, the creature was after Wally.

It swiped at him, but Wally was able to dodge the first attack. With Dick's added weight it was difficult to move fast enough. The creature was swift though. It came after Wally and attempted to attack him again, and unfortunately succeeded. It clawed Wally across his back causing him to stumble forward onto the mossy ground. This time he couldn't recover as quickly. He could feel the darkness at the edges of his vision close in on him along with the feeling of blood dripping down his back.

Dick was lying defenseless in the grass. He wished Dick would open his eyes and just run away, but the poor kid was a victim. He couldn't save himself, and Wally had failed as well. The last thing Wally saw was the creature reaching for Dick. Every cell of his body screamed at Wally to move, to do something to protect his friend. Yet no matter how much he wanted to comply he couldn't move and unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

**Another chapter! It's a little short, but I thought I hit a good stopping point even if it landed on a cliffhanger. I thought Wally would be pretty determined in a situation like this, so hopefully he doesn't seem too out of character.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

"Wally," someone called to him through his dreams. "Come on, Kid. Wake up." The voice sounded anxious and worried.

Wally slowly opened his eyes, finding it to be much more difficult than usual. He was expecting to see his bedroom, or possibly the stone ceilings of mountain, but he was outside lying on his side in the woods. Silver streams of moonlight filtered in through the leaves, creating heavy shadows in the background. Flash was crouched down next to him, a worried expression on his face. At first Wally was utterly confused about the situation and then the fight with the creature suddenly came flooding back. He had let it get away, and with it Dick was gone as well. Wally failed to protect his friend when he needed him the most.

"Kid…Wally are you okay? What happened here?" Flash asked while helping Wally into a seated position, and brushed the dirt off of his face.

"I-I tried to save him." He whispered. "But Dick was captured."

"What took him?" This time it was Batman who asked the question. His voice was sharp, and serious making Wally flinch. He came out from where the shadows had concealed him, looking angrier than Wally had ever seen him before.

"It was this monster. Somehow it broke into Dick's bedroom and took him. It wasn't natural; it looked like some kind of mutated shrub with an extremely bad attitude." Wally explained quickly. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect him. The thing knocked me out when I was trying to get Dick away from it."

Batman walked closer and pulled Wally up roughly from the ground, holding onto his shoulders. "You should have called for back-up." Batman growled.

"T-there was no time. If I waited it definitely would have escaped." Wally argued. He winced as moved forward, the gashes on his back flaring up with pain. He could feel the dried blood sticking to his skin, and the warmth of fresh blood starting to trickle out of the wounds again from being moved so quickly. To make matters worse he still had a concussion and his eyes couldn't focus. Everything was hazy.

"Regardless it still got away." Batman snapped. "You were foolish to think you could have defended him by yourself."

"I got a tracker on Dick!" Wally retorted. "I could see I wasn't going to win the fight. The thing was stronger than me and had an advantage in the forest. I used my goggles because they have GPS. We will be able to find him again!" Wally finished and gasped at the pain in his back and his head.

"Enough Batman!" Flash shouted and moved in between the two. Batman quickly released Wally as Flash intervened. He put a hand to Wally's back to give him some support, but Wally practically jumped away from his touch. Flash could see the slight darkening of his gloved hand and realized it was blood. "Wally, you're injured!" Flash said alarmed. "You should have said something."

"I didn't know it was so bad." He said falling to his knees, unable to keep standing due to his concussion.

Batman backed away into the shadows once more, and Wally could see something similar to regret on his face. He knew Batman didn't mean to harm him; he was just worried for Dick. Angry that he couldn't protect his ward himself, and also because someone had the gall to attack his own house. Wally could understand how he felt.

"Let's go and get you patched up." Flash moved in front of Wally so that he could carry him on his back. Wally thought it was slightly ironic since he had to do exactly the same thing for Dick only a few hours ago. Wally gratefully accepted the help from his uncle, and got onto his back.

The motion made Wally's head spin as Flash stood up. He groaned and shut his eyes trying to calm his stomach as it flipped. "You okay, Kid?"

"Just some normal concussion symptoms. I'll live though." Wally responded.

"All right. We'll be back at the house soon." Flash said. "Warn me if you feel like you're going to be sick."

"Will do." Wally responded and rested his head on his uncle's shoulder as he started walking back toward the house.

"I'm sorry that I let you down Batman." Wally said as he saw the Dark Knight moving through the trees nearby.

"Wally," Batman huffed. "You did the best that you could. I should apologize for not noticing that you were hurt. I don't blame you, and I'm sorry you got injured."

Wally didn't say anything else. He was just happy to hear that Batman wasn't going to pummel him into the earth. Although he was still very disappointed in himself. If only the team had been there to back him up, then Dick would still be with them.

_Oh god, the team, _Wally thought. He was going to have to tell them what happened after he promised he could take care of Dick without them. They were going to be disappointed…no, furious with him. This could not get any worse. Unfortunately the world just loved to prove him wrong today. His stomach flipped and twisted suddenly, as his thoughts transformed into anxiety and nausea.

"Uh, Uncle Barry…"Wally moaned. "Gonna be sick."

"Oh okay, hold on." Flash crouched down on the ground quickly, and Wally slid off his back.

He crawled off to the side and then he proceeded to vomit into the nearby brush. It wasn't pretty, and Wally was thoroughly embarrassed by the fact that this had to happen in front of two of the biggest heroes in the world. But honestly he would have to worry about that later. As he finally stopped throwing up, his body was shaking from the sudden movement. Wally's back felt like white hot pokers were being jabbed into his skin, and ripping him open once more. The strain his body just forced him to endure was enough to make him black out.

"Whoa, hold on Kid." He could hear Flash say before he passed out once more.

The next thing Wally was aware of was more voices. That and he was lying propped up awkwardly on his side. He opened his eyes and looked around. Wally was definitely in a cave…the Batcave, but there were more than just Batman's and Flash's voices echoing off the walls. He tried to figure out who else it could be when he was stopped by someone talking to him.

"Hey, you feeling any better?"

Wally glanced up and found Artemis looking down at him. She was dressed in her archer uniform, meaning that they were here to get some work done. It didn't really surprise him that the team had been called to the Batcave. So much had happened in a short span of time, Batman couldn't afford to waste anymore.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." Wally answered quietly. He was afraid to say any more.

"We know what happened out there," Artemis said, addressing the topic Wally was scared to bring up. "It's not your fault you know. We know you tried your best, you've even got the marks and stitches to prove it." She gestured to his back.

He was surprised by her comment. Somehow he expected her…everyone to be upset with him. He had failed their friend, lost him to some unknown creature. But then again if Batman could forgive him, why couldn't the team?

"We're going to get him back." She said confidently.

Wally pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring the slight twinge in his back. He nodded. "I know we will."

* * *

**I really didn't mean for it to take so long to update this. I'm so sorry. I hope you enjoy this chapter though, and please let me know what you think. I love getting feedback.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Artemis helped Wally off the hospital bed, and together they walked into the central part of the Batcave. Batman was at the computer looking over security footage from earlier. He managed to find a picture of the beast on the tapes, and had the image pulled up on the screen. His face was stern as he worked on trying to find his son, and the thing that took him.

Flash looked at Wally and Artemis as they walked into the room and came to stand next to them. "Kid, you shouldn't be walking around yet." Flash said worriedly.

"I think I'm okay. My back hurts, but I'm pretty sure my concussion has gone away." Wally answered. "Uh, sorry about earlier, Uncle Barry. I didn't think I was going to get sick." His cheeks reddened at the thought of what happened out in the woods.

Flash chuckled and rested his hand on Wally's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're feeling better. Alfred stitched you, but you still need to be careful not to aggravate your wounds."

"Did Batman find Dick yet?"

"Almost, I believe. We know it was Poison Ivy and managed to get the tracker activated. Its password protected and he's been trying to crack it, but it would probably be quicker if you just put it in." Flash explained.

"Oh yeah. I can do that." Wally said and walked over to the computer to help Batman.

Batman saw him approach and silently stepped aside as he let Wally put his password into the computer. A signal popped up the moment he pushed "enter" on the keyboard, locking in on the transmission the GPS emitted.

"Thank you." Batman said.

Wally nodded and moved back to stand next to Artemis. He then glanced over at her with a curious look. "Um, if you're here then does that mean the others are too?"

"Yeah, they're over in the training room waiting." She said.

"Are they…" Wally paused, unsure of how to present his question. "Are they upset?"

"Upset…yes, but not with you. After we were called here, and trust me that was shocking enough to begin with, all we could think of was helping out."

"Oh." Wally said, and then cocked his head to the side. "Why were you called here?"

Artemis shrugged. "I don't really know. Batman said he needed us and that you had been hurt, but didn't explain other than that."

Wally just nodded and walked into the small gymnasium in the cave. It was set up more or less for Dick's use than Batman's. There was plenty of gymnast equipment that he could practice with, and in a way it was strange to be there without Dick moving about.

Wally stopped looking around the gym once his eyes fell on the rest of his team. They looked quite serious, but upon seeing Wally their expressions lightened.

"Wally," Megan greeted and walked over and gently gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"As am I." Kaldur added.

While Connor didn't say much, he offered a small smile.

"Thanks, but I just wish this never happened in the first place."

"There's nothing that can be done to change the past now. And never could have known that a monster would come after Dick. We will just have to make sure that we get him back." Kaldur said.

"You're right," Wally started pacing a bit, thinking. "We need to figure out a strategy. I have a feeling that we're going to be getting our next mission soon."

* * *

His dreams were muddled and hazy. He couldn't think straight even in his sleep. Dick tried to recall what had happened to him but nothing came to mind. _Did I fall off the balance beam during practice again_, he wondered. He was unable to think of any other means for his sore body and aching head.

Dick decided that he should get up and find out what happened. He opened his eyes, which was extremely difficult. It was like when you get sick and your body just feels too heavy to move at all. The first thing he noticed once he was awake was that he did not recognize anything around him. He wasn't in his bed or even a hospital room. Instead he was looking up at a glass ceiling draped with vines and other kinds of plants.

Startled Dick sprung up from the bed, despite the protests from his aching muscles, to get a better look around. It felt like he could have been in a jungle with how warm it was, but he realized it was a greenhouse of some kind. Why in the world was he here?

"Ah, you're finally awake. I'm so glad. You look like you are doing much better now." Poison Ivy appeared from behind some trees; she spoke to him softly and smiled. Dick sensed that there was something awfully familiar about her, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"W-what's going on?" Dick asked cautiously. "Who are you?"

"Darling, I'm Pamela." She laughed a little. "You don't have to worry. You were quite ill so you might not remember everything that has happened."

"I don't remember feeling sick at all." Dick responded.

Ivy came over and sat down next to him, but made sure to keep some distance between them. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He waited a moment, thinking. "I'm not exactly sure." He said hesitantly. "Um..the circus. I was about to perform with my parents…" Dick's voice trailed off as the moment suddenly flashed before his eyes once more. His parents. They were gone. How had he forgotten such a terrible thing?

The force of the memory hit him hard. Tears had silently started to fall from his eyes, and his mind buzzed as he tried to grasp onto the details of what he could actually remember. "Everything's fuzzy…I don't understand." Dick said frustrated.

"It's okay, dear. It's from the sickness. You had a fever for a while. Just take your time." Ivy said to him.

"After the accident I was supposed to go with . What happened?"

"That man," Ivy sneered. "He doesn't care about anyone other than his appearance with the public. He decided not to take you, Richard. Too much of a hassle, he said. That's why you're with me now."

"Really? I-I thought that he actually cared. He said we were similar. I thought…" Dick trailed off unable to finish his thought. He was just overwhelmed with everything that was happening.

"Oh don't worry, Richard." Ivy put her arm around him. "Everything will work out. You'll see. We'll be very happy here."

Dick leaned into her embrace without saying anything else. He was still crying quietly. He didn't know what to think. Pamela seemed kind enough, yet there was something bothering him. His mind just wouldn't let him think long enough to figure out what it was.

Pamela, or rather Poison Ivy, smiled triumphantly down at the young boy in her arms. She had finally succeeded in gaining her very precious prize. Even if it was through unethical means, and cleverly disguised lies. She would care for Richard Grayson far better than Bruce Wayne ever had. Richard was special and talented, and no one would be able to take him away from her again.

* * *

**Here's another chapter! I don't usually like to shift the perspective within the same chapter but I really wanted to get back to Dick. I just hope that the ending doesn't seem too rushed or out of character. Ivy is really difficult to write, so please let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

Dick got up from the bed he was lying in and started to look around. The place was huge and open, with plants everywhere. It reminded him of the gardens that he used to see when he was abroad with the circus, some palaces that were open to the public and landscaped city parks. The glass ceiling allowed the night sky to come in, and he could see stars up in the sky.

"Pamela, this place is so cool." He said looking up at moon reflecting off the few trees in the room.

"I'm glad you think so," Ivy smiled. "I've worked very hard on it."

Dick walked through the gardens looking at everything, while Ivy trailed behind him. He stopped to gaze at some flowers that looked as though they could light up. He continued through the garden until he walked in an area that had sculptures made from the plants themselves. There were all different kinds of animals posing as if they could come to life at any second. They were all beautiful except for one. Dick stared at it and it made him feel uneasy. The sculpture was some kind of beast, a mix of different animals and it was huge.

"This one doesn't fit in with the rest," he said looking back at Ivy. "It's not very nice looking."

"Oh that," she paused. "It's supposed to be like a gargoyle, a guardian of sorts."

"Definitely looks dangerous enough." Dick took a step back.

Ivy put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, well why don't you explore over there for now, dear. Just please be careful. You were quite ill earlier. I'll go get you something to eat."

"Um, all right. Sure." Dick wandered off to the area she had directed him to. He didn't know why she was fretting over him so much, he felt fine except for a very dull headache.

Dick wandered over to where the tall trees that stretched all the way to the ceiling were. He smiled and ran towards them, and leaped onto the lowest branch. He swung himself around and vaulted up the branches as if they were double bars. He flipped one more time and in the process, saw something fall out of his jacket pocket. Dick stopped to look at it. A pair of goggles dangled from a branch beneath him.

"Are these mine?" Dick wondered, picking them up. He didn't recognize the goggles. He held them up to his eyes, and didn't notice anything peculiar about them. Yet when he went to take them off his hand brushed against a button, shifting the view into infrared mode.

"Whoa," he murmured. He never owned anything like this. It was too high tech. "Maybe I should ask Pamela about them, they might have been a gift."

As he continued to examine though, there was something familiar about them and the way they looked. He held them in his hand, staring at them. He decided that he needed to keep these to himself. If they weren't his, he didn't want to give them back. At least not yet.

"Richard," Ivy called from below.

He placed the goggles back into his pocket and swung down to the ground. Ivy held a plate out to him and led him over to a small porcelain table in one section of the garden.

"Here you go, dear." She said, pulling out a chair for him to sit down on.

"Thanks, Pamela." Dick said and picked up an apple slice off the plate.

* * *

Flash had called the team back into the main part of the cave. Batman looked angry and determined, but also somehow skeptical of what he was about to say. The team gathered around him warily in a semi-circle.

"I have your next mission," he announced. "I need you to go and retrieve Richard. Here are the coordinates I have received from Kid Flash's goggles," Batman said bringing up a map on the screen. A red dot blinked on the screen. It was in an old part of downtown where the natural history museum used to reside.

"Are you not coming along?" Megan asked.

"Not immediately. If I show up by myself it could raise suspicion about my identity because I was also at the gala where Poison Ivy first attacked Richard. But if I get the cops going on their way, it will be easier to get in. That's why I want you to go first. Even if you get Dick before the cops arrive, she is still a wanted criminal."

"We understand," Kaldur said.

"Once you get there report back to me before you actually do anything. The cops will be here any moment, so I need you to head out while I take care of the formal meeting here."

"Yes, sir." They said.

The team started heading towards where the Batmobile was, except for Wally.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a confused expression.

"The Bio-ship is waiting outside here," Megan explained.

"Oh cool," Wally said and quickly caught up with them.

They exited the cave and the ship was hidden in the trees. Megan commanded it to come to them and opened the back hatch. They boarded the ship and took their seats. Wally entered the coordinates into the ship's navigation system, and it took off into the city.

The ride only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like hours as the anticipation hung thickly in the air around them. They all wanted their friend back safe, and it couldn't happen fast enough. Finally, they arrived, hovering over the building that was their target.

"Looks like this place used to have a botany exhibit or something. There's a large greenhouse in the back." Wally said looking out the ship's windows. "Anyone wanna bet that's where Poison Ivy is hiding?"

"Wow, no one would have thought of that one," Artemis said sarcastically. Wally glared at her in response, and she just smirked at him in return.

Kaldur came up beside Wally to look at the greenhouse. "We can get in through the windows of the greenhouse, but I do not think it is wise for all of us to go at the same time."

"Wally, Megan, and Artemis could go in first and scope out the situation," Connor suggested. "You and I can stay here for back up, and call Batman."

Kaldur nodded. "Good idea. Keep in contact through the mental link and report back what you find."

"Sure thing." Wally replied.

Megan put up the hood of her cloak, and Wally tapped the symbol on his uniform switching it into stealth mode.

"The mental link is up," Megan announced and then opened the back hatch of the ship. It was close enough to the roof that the jump would only be a few feet.

"Be careful." Kaldur called after them.

"Aren't we always?" Artemis replied and jumped off the ship.

Wally and Artemis landed with a light tap of their feet on the glass rooftop, but it wasn't loud enough to alert the people inside. The movement made Wally's back twinge in pain at the slight strain it caused. Megan hovered next to them, giving Wally a worried look.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She asked through the mental link.

"It's not that bad really. I just forgot about it for a minute."

"Be careful, Wally." Artemis said giving him a warning look.

"I know. Now let's go."

The three of them looked in through the windows and saw a tree that stretched close enough to the windows that they could slip in easily. Megan unlatched the window and swung it open silently. She then swooped into the room, looking around for any immediate threats.

"All clear."

Artemis and Wally followed after her. They jumped into the upper branches of the tree, crouching in the shadows. They paused to take in their surroundings before they moved any further.

"What do you see?" Kaldur asked suddenly.

"A lot of plants." Artemis answered dryly. "And so far no people."

"But this is definitely the place." Wally announced.

"What makes you say that?"

Wally's gaze was on ground. Artemis and Megan looked to see what he was staring at, he pointed with his hand. "That's the thing that attacked the mansion earlier and dragged Dick away." It was the large shrub that looked like an amalgam of different beasts. It sent shivers up Wally's spine.

"Okay so now all we need to do is find Robin." Megan said.

Artemis moved down a few boughs of the tree. "Let's get closer."

The three of them moved slowly so they wouldn't make too much noise by rustling the tree's leaves, unsure of what kind of security measures Ivy had in place. They got down about half way and stopped. With their vantage point they could see most of the greenhouse space. Across from them they spotted Dick sitting at a table with Poison Ivy beside him.

"Oh man, this is seriously weird." Wally said, as he continued to watch Dick interact with one of the most well known villains in Gotham City.

"You're telling me. It's creepy." Artemis added.

"How are we going to get to him?" Megan asked. "He doesn't seem like he's in any danger. They're smiling."

"Doesn't mean she's not dangerous. He might not even know what's going on with the way his memory was earlier. If he did, I know he wouldn't be talking to her like that" Wally continued to observe them. "We'll just have to wait until he's alone if we want to get close to him."

"This could take a while." Artemis mentally sighed, and watched the strange conversation continue below them.

* * *

**Yay, an update, and once again I'm sorry for the wait. Thanks to those of you who have been sticking with this story. I always enjoy reading comments, and it gets me back into writing this. Now that I have some time, I'll hopefully be able to write more of this before the spring semester starts up. So as always please let me know what you think. **


	12. Chapter 12

Dick sat quietly at the table finishing the meal that Pamela had placed on the table for him. She was across from him, smiling kindly. It wasn't really an awkward silence, but Dick didn't know what to say to her. He couldn't remember anything about her, so she was pretty much a stranger to him.

He tried to observe her, without making it obvious he was staring at her. She was a pretty woman, wearing blue jeans, and a pink, loose button-up shirt, but her skin was awfully pale. It was paler than he had ever seen on a person before, but that could also be because her hair was a bright red, which contrasted greatly with the color of her skin. Other than that, and the fact that they appeared to be living in the greenhouse, she appeared to be fairly normal.

"You must have some questions about what's been going on, Richard," Ivy said breaking the silence between them. "Is there anything you would like to know?"

He looked at her for a moment trying to figure out what to say first. "Um, do we actually live here? I mean it's cool and all, but…"

Ivy laughed. "For now, yes. Since I work with plants the most, it was easier to create a place where I could surround myself in my work. That is until you came along. I know it's a bit…strange for you, but don't worry."

"I'm from a circus, this isn't really that weird. I like all the plants; it's like being in the Secret Garden." Dick said looking around at everything once more. It was neat, but it was definitely going to take some getting used to.

"That was one of my favorite books when I was a little girl."

"My mom used to read it to me when we were traveling. W-we used to read all the time together." He took a deep breath. Dick didn't mean to say anything; he tried not to bring up his parents because he didn't want to be sad. The memories of losing them were still fresh in his mind.

"Oh darling," Ivy spoke to him softly. He had looked down at his hands, and she noticed his eyes were watering with unshed tears. "I know it hurts right now."

Dick could only nod at her in response. His throat was tight with emotion, and if he spoke his tears would fall. He never liked crying in front of people if he could help it.

Ivy moved closer, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "Richard, it's all right to be upset."

Dick leaned into her embrace. "I miss them. Everything's so messed up." He sniffled.

"I know," she patted his head. "But you'll be okay. We can take care of each other, we'll be happy."

"I still don't understand why you took me in. Mr. Wayne seemed like he was really nice."

Ivy suddenly held him at arm's length, a frown on her face. "Don't talk about him." Dick flinched away from her dark tone, and then she lightened up. "He only takes what he has for granted. He wouldn't have been able to care for you properly. Bruce Wayne would have just lost track of you the second you set foot in his home, and you would have just ended up getting hurt."

"Oh…" Dick muttered.

"Just forget about him." Ivy whispered and pulled Dick back into a hug. "You're with me now, Richard. That's all that matters."

Dick didn't say anything, and Ivy continued to hold him as he worked through his thoughts. He didn't know why he was here, and he couldn't remember ever meeting Pamela. He could only think of his parent's falling, and then Mr. Wayne asked him if he would like to come home with him. Dick never thought he would be rejected. He was so confused now.

"How about I get you something to calm you down, and you get ready for bed." Ivy said, stirring him from his thoughts. "It's late after all, and you need your rest. "

He nodded. She released him from a hug and got up. Dick watched her walk down a hallway that led to the main entrance into the greenhouse. At least she seemed to care for him, and that helped to ease his worried mind.

* * *

Megan, Wally, and Artemis sat up in the tree patiently waiting for their chance to move in. It was hard though, watching their friend having a conversation with one of the most notorious villains in Gotham City. If Poison Ivy didn't leave soon, they were going to have to create some kind of distraction to get to him.

"What's going on?" Connor asked through the mind link. "Is Dick all right?"

"They're just talking." Megan answered. "But it looks like he doesn't know who she is."

"I think that was her intention, for whatever weird reason. Ivy doesn't want Dick to know anything. That's why he was sick earlier." Artemis added, glaring down at the woman below her. "She's messing with him."

Wally scrunched up his face. "It's so creepy."

"No kidding." Said Artemis. She looked back at the two on the ground, she could see Dick's expression turn into one of grief. "Oh no…it looks like he's crying now."

"Is he injured?" Kaldur's voice came through the mental link.

"Doesn't look like it. He's just upset over something."

"I can't stand watching this. We need to move in." Wally said, agitated. Everyone was obviously tense, waiting for an opening. But Wally was wound so tight, he looked like his was ready to explode the second he got a chance.

After a few minutes Ivy got up to move. She left the greenhouse out a little hallway, the door clicking shut behind her.

"Good, she's gone." Artemis pointed at the door. "Megan, can you lock the door so she can't get back inside?"

"Of course." Megan moved down, still in camouflaged, and clicked the deadbolt on the door.

"I'm going down now," Wally said, and was gone in a blur.

He stopped a few feet from Dick, so that he wouldn't scare him. Artemis came up behind him soon after. Dick had pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. He wasn't crying anymore.

"Dick," Wally started softly.

Dick's head snapped up to look at him. "Whoa, h-how did you get in here?"

"Don't worry about that. We've come to take you back."

"To where? I don't have anywhere to go, a-and you can't make me go back to the orphanage." Dick jumped out of his seat, and back-flipped away from them. Wally made a mental note to talk to him about that later.

"No, we just want to take you home." Artemis stepped in, but Dick didn't seem to believe her. "Do you know who we are?"

"No, but you should go. Pamela will be coming back soon, and I don't think she'd be happy to see strangers here."

"Pamela? Dude, she's not who you think she is. That woman…"

"She's a bad person. The police are after her. She kidnapped you!" Megan explained. "That's why we're here now."

"I don't believe you. You look more like kidnappers, breaking in here."

Wally sighed. "Look, I know everything is confusing right now, but you have to trust us. We're with the Justice League. I'm Kid Flash, and this is Artemis. Miss Martian is over there" Wally said pointing to Megan. She made herself fully visible, smiling kindly at him. Dick didn't really react to her appearance other than showing some surprise in his expression.

"The Justice League doesn't have sidekicks." Dick said matter-of-factly.

Wally laughed. "There's a long story to that, which you don't remember right now." Wally needed another way to approach this. Dick was smart for having the mindset of a nine year old. "How old are you?" Wally asked suddenly.

"Why does that matter?"

"Please, Dick…"Wally said

"Nine."

"Okay," Wally moved closer. "Actually you're thirteen. Look at how tall you are compared to me…if you were nine you would be a lot shorter."

Shock ran across his face. He realized what Wally was saying was real, he was taller. He just didn't realize it before. "What? How…"

"You've lost your memories because of Pamela." Artemis answered. "So you can only remember up to a certain point."

"H-how do I know you're telling the truth and not some kind of trick?"

Wally thought for a moment. He needed to convince Dick that he was on his side. "Your pocket!" Wally exclaimed. "There is a pair of goggles in your jacket pocket."

"How did you…" Dick pulled out the goggles, looking at them.

"I know because I put them there. They're mine. You were captured earlier by that thing over there." Wally said pointing to the beast in the back of the greenhouse.

"A scary plant captured me?" Robin asked skeptically.

"Yes! Dude, Pamela is Poison Ivy. She's a villain and can make plants do weird, unnatural things. I've got the stitches to prove it." Wally said throwing his hands up in the air.

"Dick, didn't you find it strange that you woke up in a greenhouse?" Megan asked.

"Yeah, but she…"Dick started.

"Dick, you can't take anything she says to be true." Artemis said. She walked over and gently took him by the shoulders. "I know what it's like to feel like you're being pulled around like a puppet on strings. Right now you don't know up from down. I've definitely been there, my father tried to make me do some terrible things when I was younger. Pamela or Poison Ivy, whatever, is trying to manipulate you in a similar way." She looked into his blue eyes trying to show how serious she was. "I also know you must be feeling extremely confused by everything we're saying, but all you need to know is that we're your friends, okay?"

Dick took a moment to respond. Nothing felt right since the moment he woke up there with Pamela, but everything they were saying was starting to make sense. "Okay. I believe you."

"What made up your mind so quickly?" Wally asked.

"Well, she looks really intense. I know she's not lying, plus you guys are calling me Dick. Only people that are close call me by that nickname."

"The police are fifteen minutes away," Kaldur alerted them suddenly through the mental link. "We can see the lights now."

"And," Connor cut in. "Batman's here."

A dark shadow cut out the light coming in through the glass ceiling. A moment later, Batman descended into the greenhouse.

* * *

**Yay, another chapter! I hope the ending didn't feel too rushed. The next scene should have a lot of action, and will probably be up in about a week. Feedback is always welcomed and thanks for all the reviews!  
**


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